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Macroscope The manuscript by Piers Anthony |
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Macroscope The manuscript by Piers Anthony |
I read Macroscope back in 1969 when I was 14 years old (so now you know how old I am.) It was one of the first "serious" science fiction books I ever read (after Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo and other juveniles.) As such it was a book I greatly desired for my collection. The first edition is an Avon paperback (shown above), and not too difficult to find. The first hardcover edition was published by Gregg Press, and is also not very scarce. I was very pleased to discover the manuscript up for auction in November 1998.
This is the 694 page typed-carbon manuscript for Macroscope, with corrections by the author in pencil and red pen, and with a message and autograph in ink to Jeff Soyer on the title page. There are also two other typed and hand-signed pieces of correspondence about it - a note and a letter - to Jeff. A cover letter is included which the author sent to publishing houses in August of 1968, with another little inked message on the bottom. That letter in part says, after a paragraph about monetary offers,
My prior science fiction: 15 stories published in ANALOG,GALAXY,IF,AMAZING AND FANTASTIC; 4 novels including "Chthon" (tied for 3rd place, 1967 Nebula Award) and "Sos the Rope" (winner, PYRAMID/F&SF $5,000 Science Fiction Novel Award); all under the name "Piers Anthony."
Also includes the original box and shipping wrapper from P. (Anthony) Jacob, Gulfport, Fla.
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Cover letter
It seems that Mr. Anthony submitted this manuscript directly, without the benefit of a literary agent. |
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Title page
Note the original title: "The Macroscope". It also states "about 194,00 words (694 pages)". |
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Page one
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Page two
Apparently, spelling errors are indicated in red ink, and changes in pencil. |
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Personal letter
In which the author expects the manuscript might be worth "a hundred dollars or more." Note how severely browned this is after less than 30 years. |
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Postcard
In which the author leaves off the "The" in the title of the book. |
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The shipping box
Ok, it's a bit silly to display, but any periphemera™ accompanying a collectible should be preserved for posterity. |
For more information about Piers Anthony
